It is a general object of the present invention to provide a container with a body of blow-molded plastic construction, and a method of making such a container, having a sidewall that is contoured and constructed to be readily ergonomically squeezable for maximizing the dispensing of either hot-filled, or cold-filled liquid product.
A plastic container in accordance with one aspect of the present invention includes a finish, a shoulder extending from the finish, a closed base, and a sidewall connecting the shoulder to the base. The sidewall is of blow molded construction and generally uniform wall thickness. The sidewall has an array of circumferentially spaced longitudinally extending radially recessed channels, and an array of axially spaced circumferentially extending radially recessed channels intersecting the longitudinally extending channels. The longitudinally extending channels have radially inner portions that lie on an hourglass-shaped common surface of revolution around the axis of the container sidewall. In accordance with a second aspect of the preferred embodiments of the invention, a plurality of axially and circumferentially spaced land areas are disposed in spaces between the intersecting longitudinally and circumferentially extending channels, with the land areas lying on a common surface of revolution, preferably a cylindrical surface of revolution, around the axis of the container sidewall.